Hatch Chicken

Settle down grammar Nazis! It's not supposed to read 'Hatched Chicken'--it's Hatch Chicken, like, the pepper, and stuff. Omg, seriously?!?!

I bought into the 'Hatch Hype'--a near panicked compulsion to buy, prepare and eat them as they are in season, and disappear before you know it! Thanks, Central Market, this one's on you!

So, I: washed them, grilled them, blistered them, peeled the now-black skin off of them, and seeded them while the chicken was cooking on the grill.

My plan was to place one half on each chicken breast, then top with Monterey Jack, melt, & enjoy. I had fashioned an aluminum bowl with black beans, and another foil packet with a little rice, garlic, green onions, and tons of cilantro, ready to warm and eat.

It looked wonderful! Grill marks, perfect. It smelled fantastic! Peppery, goodness. It tasted...HOT AS HELL! Oh! Oh! HOT! HOT! HOT! And then, my cheek...burning...forehead...burning...nose...burning...like a super severe sunburn, and oh shit! My fingers are ON FIRE!!! Ow! Ow! Ow!

I had to ditch the pepper and just be content with my chicken, beans, and rice. And sweat. I couldn't stop, it was gushing from my pores. I was afraid to wipe it from my face, afraid blisters would emerge from what used to be my face but is now a human hotplate. Napkins are suspect as I have no idea if it may have accidentally been contaminated from the lit taper candles that used to be my fingers!

The Big Guy had the hiccups, happens every time he eats food that's too spicy. And me? Looks like I'll be sleeping in my contacts tonight! Dios mio.

HATCH PEPPERS!!!

It's that time of year!!! Oh, and all the dishes you can make with them! The Central Market (H-E-B) flyer just arrived and it's loaded with all things hatch! Of course...the most delicious looking item I see...hatch and cheese corn rolls with melted gourmet butter with hatch chiles...DROOL!  Hatch: sausages, hummus, crab cakes, cheddar, rotisserie chicken, sourdough, marinated beef sirloin...and then...hatch pepper tortillas! I feel faint. And what about...catfish with hatch chile hush puppies?!?!?!

I have no idea what I'm going to make with them, as I haven't even gotten my hands on them yet...however...pretty sure I'm going to make good use of that cilantro infused cucumber vodka that's been staring back at me in the fridge lately. We made bloody Mary's with it, and as tasty as it was, it was akin to drinking salsa...It might be a concoction that, stuffed with edible items on a skewer like shrimp and avocado, serves dual purposes as a drink and an appetizer, but I'm just not feelin' it!

Stay tuned...